Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) has reported 424 incidents of election violence by the last day of campaigning before the September 20 Uva Provincial Council election.

Issuing a statement to media CaFFE representatives said that the election monitors had received 305 complaints from Moneragala district, 100 from Badulla and that there were 19 complaints common to both districts.

“There were 24 instances of election law violations yesterday including complaints of misuse of public property, using PA systems without approval. There were many reports that government buildings were used for holding election meetings, using SLTB buses for propaganda and distributing goods”, they said.

In an earlier instance CaFFE reported even though the organization complained to the authorities regarding the use of unmarked vehicles for electioneering no action was taken against the responsible parties.

“Supporters of UPFA candidate Chamara Sampath Dasanayake had stabbed a person who opposed the pasting of stickers on a school bus at Mathetinna, Bandarawela. The victim has been hospitalized and two suspects were arrested. Meanwhile a group of Democratic Party supporters who attended a rally in Diyatalawa were threatened”, the statement said.

The report by election monitors also stated that over 60 SLTB buses were deployed in Moneragala for transporting UPFA supporters and that a library at Inginiyagala that belongs to Dambagalle Pradesheeya Sabha, was closed due to a political meeting held there.